The Tanimu Turaki-led faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has faulted President Bola Tinubu’s Independence Day address, insisting that Nigerians are worse off today than they were in 2023.
The party raised its objections to the President’s claims on Thursday through the National Publicity Secretary, Comrade Ini Ememobong, who said Tinubu’s portrayal of his administration as leading Nigerians towards prosperity did not reflect the country’s current realities.
Ememobong noted that Tinubu’s message invoked the biblical story of Moses leading the Israelites out of Egypt, but argued that the analogy was at odds with the experience of Nigerians dealing with rising living costs and declining purchasing power.
‘Rather than moving from slavery to freedom, Nigerians are travelling through a Red Sea of economic pain caused by insensitive and irresponsible leadership’, the PDP faction observed, blaming the All Progressives Congress-led government for the country’s economic difficulties since 2015.
The PDP also challenged the Presidency’s assertion that ‘By 2023, poverty was rising, and hope was nearly gone. The country’s situation was darker than ever.’
Ememobong pointed out that while the assessment might have been accurate at the time, ‘many Nigerians feel worse today than they did on May 29, 2023.’
According to the PDP, Nigerians have reasons to look back, contrary to the President’s admonition not to do so, pointing to higher rents, transport fares and school fees.
Ememobong cited food prices as further evidence, noting that National Bureau of Statistics data put food inflation at 19.57 per cent in August 2026. He said the slower rate of increase had not reversed the substantial price rises already absorbed by households.
The party also disputed the President’s claim of supporting enterprise, arguing that borrowing costs remained prohibitive for many businesses despite the recent reduction of the Monetary Policy Rate from 26.5 per cent to 23 per cent.
In addition, Ememobong said the administration should not respond to what he described as a real-life crisis with ‘skewed narratives’, insisting that economic indicators and citizens’ experiences contradicted the government’s account.
He further claimed that most Nigerians would prefer the economic conditions of 2019 to those under the present administration, attributing the difference to what he described as ‘reckless and insensitive economic policies’ and their implementation by the Tinubu-led government.
Turning to the 2027 elections, Ememobong said Nigerians would have an opportunity to choose leaders capable of addressing the country’s challenges. He argued that Tinubu’s administration should not cast itself as Moses when, in the PDP’s view, its policies had worsened the position of many citizens.
‘The real Pharaoh is the one pursuing Nigerians with economic pain,’ the party insisted, adding that the party was confident citizens would use the 2027 elections to seek an alternative.
The PDP called for this year’s Independence Day should serve as a reference point for political engagement ahead of the 2027 elections, saying that Nigerians would judge the administration by their lived experiences rather than its political messaging.